The present invention relates to chairs having a height adjustment. It finds particular application in conjunction with bathing chairs and will be described with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is also amenable to other applications.
Adjustable chairs are useful for assisting disabled persons while bathing. Depending on the type and/or severity of the disability, a person may prefer or have no choice but to sit while bathing. In this case, it is desirable to use a chair having a seat easily adjustable to various heights. Furthermore, because the terrain of the bathing area (e.g., a tub or shower) may be uneven, it is also desirable that the legs be independently adjustable to accommodate even slight irregularities in the surface of the bathing area while ensuring that the seat is level (e.g., parallel to the ground).
One conventional chair used for assisting disabled persons while bathing includes a leg having an upper portion secured to an underside of a seat. A continuously threaded section extends from the upper portion of the leg. A lower portion of the leg includes a hollow cavity with continuous threads that mate with the threaded section of the upper portion. The threaded section of the upper portion is screwed into the cavity of the lower portion until a desired height of the seat is attained. Furthermore, the height of the seat is adjusted by turning (e.g., screwing and/or unscrewing) the threaded section of the upper portion to a new position within the cavity.
Although the mating threads on the respective portions of the legs provide a means for adjusting a height of the seat, no means for indexing the height of the legs and/or comparing the height of one leg of the chair with respect to any of the other legs is provided. Therefore, assembling the chair to sit on a relatively flat surface requires a trial-by-error approach whereby a user makes a first attempt at adjusting the legs to achieve a level seat. Then, the user places the chair on the ground and makes the necessary adjustments to the heights of the respective legs until the seat is level and, furthermore, the desired height of the seat is achieved. Obviously, this multi-step process of leveling the seat at a desired height is cumbersome.
Furthermore, conventional bathing chairs having independently attachable legs do not offer desired levels of stability.
Also, the seat portions of conventional bathing seats are not curved in a way that creates a perception of a more accommodating seat.
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus and method which addresses the above-referenced problems.